Greedy Souls
by yuni30
Summary: Trapped in another world by a strange form of alchemy, Ling and Greed must find a way back to their own. The perpetrator and cause of their unexpected adventure is unknown, but seeking it may be the only way back- if soul seeing meisters don't get in the way. Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea.
1. Tripping Into a Strange World

He sat atop the Rockbell roof, mulling over what he should do. He was now the black sheep of the homunculi. Attacking Wrath didn't exactly help much. That didn't matter to him, anyway. Working for people that stole from the previous Greed wasn't his style.

He smirked, as he looked down the slope of the roof, facing the back yard. _"This isn't like you, Greed. You're out in the open? Not exactly a wise choice if the enemy should find us,"_ the soul of the prince he had taken possession of chided.

He smirked in his host's body, scoffing a bit. "Yeah. I'm a dumb ass, aren't I? But hey, Greed isn't just about material things. I want to be out here, observing the country side. I didn't get to see much of it in Dublith, now did I?"

Silence. Nothing but the chilling wind.

"Giving me the silent treatment, Ling? Not like you. You usually open your big mouth." He pulled his jacket together to keep warm. "You ever see the country? Sometimes all a guy wants- yeah, want, that's part of greed, you know-"

"_Will you shut up about the 'wanting'?! I get it. You don't have to repeat the same useless crap over and over again. How unoriginal can you be?"_ He sounded snarky. But then again, how else would the dense avaricious soul get the message.

Greed rubbed his neck, sighing. "Gees, sorry. I guess I beat a dead horse. Anyway sure is nice out here. The air couldn't be fresher out here in Resembool!"

Ling was silent then, _"Yeah... Listen, Greed, if someone _should_ try to attack us I wanna take control." _

"Heh... Yeah, right. Why would I want to do that?" He shook his head, closing his eyes.

_"Cause, it's hard to see. I can sense Qi better than you can," _the Xingese prince reminded the homunculus.

Greed leaned back against the chimney and closed his eyes. "Please. Like anyone would find us here." He thought it over then bit his lip before cursing and lightly hitting the chimney. "You're right. Take over if you think it's necessary. Not that you usually ask _me_."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes once more. He put his hands behind his head as if he were to take a nap- he almost did after an hour or so.

Greed picked up on the sound of footsteps behind him. He leaped to his feet, the black ponytail bouncing slightly. He whirled around in time to see a figure running from a newly activated transmutation circle. Ling had taken control, as promised, of his body to get a better sense of the situation, only to find that he was too late. A flash of light engulfed the homunculus, and he vanished with it.

He awoke in an alley somewhere. He got up, holding his head. The bright light gave him a headache. That and the angry voice that protested furiously. _"Hey! HEY! Ling, let me out!,"_ protested the greedy soul- the only one of the swarm of souls that was loud enough to hear. _"If you don't let me out, I'll take you by force!"_

The ever squinting Xingese prince scoffed with a rather grumpy look on his face. "Greed, I'm not even holding you down. And I _let_ you use my body, remember," he noted as he inched near the edge of the alley way. It was daylight. "It's day… Must have knocked us out the entire night."

"_If you aren't holding me down, then what," _demanded the seemingly annoyed and avaricious soul.

Ling shrugged as he began to peer around the corner. "Dunno…" He gasped at what he saw. "Nope, I was right… We aren't even in Resembool anymore. I should've known, there isn't another building for miles where that mechanic place is." He was looking at a fountain surrounded by a bunch of buildings. The fountain itself, was a piece of oddity. It looked like a misshapen Grim Reaper that had been twisted into a spiral. "This place, could it be a hallucination from the alchemy?"

"_Why don't you try hurting yourself," _questioned Greed. He was met by a shake of the head.

Ling had jumped to a rooftop, hoping to get a better view. "Don't wanna. This place is weird… and kind of like something that Ed would make. Such a tacky style. But… It's also kinda interesting." He was hopping from place to place now, smiling simply at the thought of exploring a new place.

Sadly, it only landed him on the ground in another alley way, passed out from hunger. _"Idiot… When will you ever learn… All that running around burns up energy. And all that energy comes from food. Food may also be a luxury, but it's also a necessity at some point and time. At least you know you're awake now."_

"Yeah," Ling wheezed as his lanky form lay on the hard ground. "I kinda got that… And you being trapped in my body with no way to get out is… part of the alchemy…," he coughed.

After an hour or so, a foot nudged the passed out prince. "Hey, you alive down there," a nearly disinterested voice asked. Ling felt slight pressure on his neck and didn't even flinch due to the weakness of his body. "Well... Might as well help you. Maka won't like this..." The person picked him up by the right shoulder and arm and took him to an unknown place.


	2. Food Please?

A teenage boy with white spiky hair picked up the phone in his apartment. His flatmate had left a note stating that she went grocery shopping, so he was alone with their "guest". He dialed in the number for the best, probably the most insane, doctor he knew.

"Doctor Stein," a cold monotonous voice called out from the other end. It almost sounded tired.

"Hey, Professor, it's Soul. Do you think you could make a house call?"

There was a slight groan, followed by a sigh. "Why? What's wrong… Did someone get sick? Or perhaps some accident occurred."

The teen shook his head. "Nah. Just some poor sap that I found passed out in an alleyway. He looked like a kid, probably another Academy student."

"He could be tricking you into something. Check to see if he's still there," the professor tersely replied.

Soul dropped the phone on the table next to its cradle. He approached the boy with the dark jacket draped over his body. He was almost hovering over him when he reached out a hand to poke his cheek. The boy responded quickly and grabbed the red eyed teen's wrist with a vengeance.

Soul writhed in agony at the tight grip. He cursed and yelled at the stranger to let go. The guest did so only after sitting up and looking at the other teen. "Sorry, about that. I've had several people try to kill me in the past, but your qi doesn't seem to be vile…" He lied back down. "So hungry… Too weak to move…"

"Kill you…? Qi…?" Soul shook it off as he rubbed his offended wrist while sitting on the ground. "Hey, squinty eyes," Soul asked after a moment. "Are you trying to trick me out of something?"

For a second Soul could see his guest's eyes. "Nope. I'm just really hungry. Thanks to my martial arts and my high metabolism, I burn through food like it's nothing."

Soul nodded, scrambling to the phone. "No. He's just hungry. The guy says he's got a high metabolism and moves around a lot."

There was hesitance on the other end of the line. "Ah… Okay. Then I don't need to come out, then. Though, Soul…"

"Heh? Yeah, Professor?"

"I would suggest you have him leave as soon as you can. I think there may be something wrong with your guest. Something very wrong." The phone clicked as it hung up. Soul was left blinking as he set the phone down.

"That's a fancy receiver thingy you got there," his guest noted with an overly happy smile. "It looks kind of like those phones I see in Xing and Amestris…" He noticed Soul's odd glance at him and made his smile even more gleeful. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name's Ling. I'm the twelfth son of the emperor of the land of Xing!"

Soul's eyes widened in shock at the stranger's introduction. _A prince?! This weirdo's a prince?!_

"Hey, I'm starving! Could you be a pal and get me some food," Ling happily requested with the same overly joyful smile plastered on his face.

Soul blinked before moving. He walked to the kitchen and prepped some sandwiches for the prince. They were shortly devoured. Ling got up suddenly from the couch and quickly found the pantry, rummaging through it to see if there was any other food. "I don't eat often, but when I do, I eat a lot," Ling informed.

"H-Hey! That's kind of rude you know!" Soul noticed the prince straighten up suddenly when he said that. He turned around with the same silly smile on his face while simply staring at Soul.

"I know, but I need a lot a food, and if I don't eat a lot of food, I'll pass out again. Who knows who'll kill me out there," Ling explained as he threw his hand out towards the window. "Then when they ask, 'how did this kid die' they may trace it back to you because you didn't have the decency to let me have a little bit more food." The boy said all this with the same cheery tone and smile.

The fact that he could say such dark things with such a lighthearted demeanor kind of scared Soul, to the point that he was starting to agree with his insane professor. _Maybe Professor Stein _is_ right about this guy. Maybe there _is_ something wrong with him._ "Eat your fill then leave," Soul allowed with a slight wave of his hand as he turned away from the prince.

After the pantry was completely emptied of its contents, Ling sat content on the couch. A twitching apron adorned Soul entered the room from washing the dishes that Ling had caused. Ling noticed Soul and suddenly got on his hands and knees with his head lowered. "I'm sorry for all the trouble and eating all your food! I had no choice! I sincerely thank you for saving me!"

Soul was taken aback by the sudden show of gratitude. "It's alright and... You're welcome?" Ling sat up from the lowered pose he had struck suddenly. The front door opened and Soul turned to see who had entered the flat.


	3. Playing Teacher

**The third chapter... Wow! So far two people have asked me to continue this story on both DeviantArt and here. I also have some followers of this story! Thanks for all the feedback! I hope this one doesn't disappoint! Warning: there is some explanation in here; most of it is stuff people already know from the show or the wiki. **

Her hair was in sandy blond pigtails. Her outfit was very preppy compared to her flat mate's. She had two shopping bags hanging off of each arm. "Hey, Soul! I'm home!" As she took in the sight before her, her body froze. The coffee table was littered with leftover dishes and the remnants of food items, that and the strange guest in the living room.

Her jovial demeanor was quickly replaced by a more hostile one. "What the hell happened, Soul?!" She looked between Soul and the mess. Soul flinched slightly at the sudden anger.

"Well, erm... You see," the red eyed teen stammered. He thrust an accusatory finger at Ling. "I found this guy lying in an alley way and decided to help him out. Turns out all he needed was a pantry full of food!"

Maka turned her wrathful gaze towards the prince in question, her shopping bags carelessly falling to the floor. "So not only are you the cause for the mess, you also ate all the food we had?" To her dismay, she was met with a cheerful smile and an equally cheerful manner.

"Yup! Sorry for the mess, but I needed the food or I would pass out in the stre-" A book to the face silenced his remark. He fell back and then sat up again, holding his nose. "Ow! That hurt!" He gasped as his eyes widened enough to actually see his pupils at his sudden exclamation. "That hurt...? Dammit, that's right."

"Who are you," inquired Ling's aggressor. She stood at the door with her fists clenched. She was looked straight at the intruder.

"He's some sort of idiot prince from the land of 'Xing'." Soul emphasized the country's name sarcastically.

"Hey, you have no right to call a future leader of a nation that," Ling retorted through his hand, his constant cheer extinguished. "And Xing is a _real_ place! With _real_ people!"

_"Yeah, don't you have to get back to those people?! This isn't the world I _want_ to rule," _Greed reminded the prince.

Soul scoffed at Ling indignantly. "Please! Dude, that place doesn't exist on the map! Right, Maka?" Soul turned to look at his flat mate for confirmation, only to find her frozen in shock. "Maka...?" He shook her to see if he could elicit a response.

"What… What are you," she screamed. "You can't be human! You're an evil human…," she began, almost trembling in fear at what she saw. "No, that's not right. The souls that evil humans eat… they no longer exist. They join to the soul and then that soul becomes a kishin egg, or at least they start that process…"

"_Crap… Ling, she's on to us… I suggest running if you value your life,"_ Greed warned. _Shut up, Greed. I'll handle this._

"What? This guy, Ling, is an evil human?" Soul looked between Maka and the teen he had rescued. "But not an evil human…? He looks like a normal kid! Wait… are you saying the souls are still there: inside his body?!"

Ling sat there after dropping his hand from his nose, dumbfounded. He didn't know what to make of the situation. All he could do was listen to their reasoning. _She can sense qi as well? But she isn't from Xing, so how can that be?_

"Yes. There are multiple souls in his body and all of them seem to be smaller than the two I happen to see." She bent over and looked at her hands trying to solve the riddle her advanced senses had presented her with. "But how? How is that possible? The two main souls seem to have the same type of bond that Kid and his weapons do, but the other souls are cast to the side! Why is that," she continued to reason, clenching her head, desperately trying to find an answer.

"Perhaps I can shed some light on the subject." Ling got up from his place on the ground, his voice more serious than when Soul's remarks struck a nerve.

"You seem to have an advanced form of sensing qi, correct? What you are seeing is the effects of the philosopher stone in my body. The souls you see happen to be in league with the one soul that equals to mine. That is Greed. My soul exists in around- or perhaps around the stone. Greed and I share a similar taste. We're both very avaricious and are willing to protect what's ours at all costs: including friends. Greed is also very powerful, and I have a strong will, so neither of us has trouble with coexisting with the rest of the souls."

"_What are you doing, you fool? Could you be more discrete about your weakness,"_ Greed chastised again. _I know what I'm doing, Greed._ Ling heard a sigh from the avaricious soul. _"You're going to get us both killed."_

"Uh…," Soul and Maka looked at him with slightly aggravated and confused faces. "What's a philosopher stone?"

Ling let out an irritable sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Do I have to explain _everything_ to you guys?" The two nodded. "Well… It's kind of like this." He motioned to Maka. "You said that evil humans eat other human souls, right?"

"Yeah, to gain power."

"Well, if one were to take a bunch of human souls and combine them together using a diagram- back in Amestris they call it Alchemy and in Xing they call is Alchehestry- it would create a philosopher stone: a powerful substance that be used for almost anything, including making someone immortal." He placed his hand over his chest as he added gravely, "But even that has a price. One could lose their sanity or humanity if they were or expose the stone to their blood stream and those who lose their humanity are often called a homunculus."

"Okay…," Maka tilted her head wrapping her mind around the information Ling had provided.

"Question," Soul began. "What's those to alche-whatever things again?"

"It's easier said than done." Ling rubbed his neck with a grunt. "And I'm not an alchemist, so I wouldn't be able to show it to you." He began to walk toward the door, circling around Maka.

It was then that they both chimed in as an expected, but frustrated reaction. "Then how do you know so much about it?! And if it leads to such a tempting thing, why the hell tell us?"

"To the first question, I can't tell you...," Ling responded while facing the wall on the outside of their flat.

"And why the hell not," Soul demanded.

"Because even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me anyway," Ling responded again, the cheer edging back into his voice once more.

"Yeah, what about the second question," Maka inquired.

"Because, judging from your reactions to me being a homunculus and all, you wouldn't dare go after creating the stone. You value the life of others far more than seeking out something that would only benefit yourself at the demise of thousands of innocent people," Ling stated as he turned his head to the side to look at Soul and Maka; the cheer slipped away again.

Then with a wave and a suddenly contrasting joyful tone, "Bye, guys! Thanks again for saving me and the food!" He ran off.

Soul and Maka peered around the corner to see where he went, but found that the strange guest was already gone. _He moves fast…_


	4. Confronting Strange New Enemies

A blue haired assassin stood on top of a roof within the strange city. He turned his head this way and that with a hand shading his eyes from the burning sunlight. "No sign of the idiot yet, Kid," the teen notified his more formally dressed companion.

A boy in what some would call a strange business suit skated by on a black skate board while wielding a pair of guns. What would've been a bow tie was a skull, resembling the ones seen in some of the murals of the city. His most distinguishing feature was the three white lines in his hair. "Black Star, be patient. The target won't simply appear when you want him to."

He jumped to another roof top and began to look around again. "Yeah, whatever..." He stared in another direction for the next few moments. "Arrrrgh! When will that guy get here?! Who does he think he is, showing me up like-"

"Perhaps he's not here," the ninja sword at the messy haired assassin's side suggested. "After all, the mission _did_ say that he moves around a lot."

Black Star shrugged with a slight pout. "Lord Death also said that he hung around this particular area."

"I'm sorry, did you say 'LordDeath'," a new voice called out. "Do you work with him?" A teen with his black hair wrapped in a ponytail stood behind the assassin- Ling Yao.

Black Star reeled to see him. "Shifty eyes, trench coat, black ponytail...," Black Star listed off. "Who the hell are you?" Then it dawned on him. "Are you the Prince of Evil? Well, fess up," he shouted as he rushed at the stranger.

Ling jumped high enough to step on his aggressor's face and end up behind him with his hands in the pockets of his coat. As Black Star fell to the ground with a reasonable sized shoe print, the other just rubbed the back of his head. "'Prince of Evil'...? The only 'prince' I've ever been is prince of Xing."

Kid flew up on the skateboard; the wheels became rockets. He jumped off and the skateboard was pulled back into his hand. "My father, Lord Death, didn't know your name. It was assigned by him."

Ling looked at the oddly dressed teen. _They have some strange hair styles in this city... His qi is almost exactly the same as the dispersed qi I'm sensing. _"Your qi... Is Lord Death at the center of the city? There's a very daunting qi all around here, but it seems strongest at the center. I've heard he's the ruler here." His voice was curious and nonchalant.

"You can sense my father's soul?" Kid took a defensive stance. "Were you a meister?"

"Huh…? Meister?" Ling stared back at the more formal teen inquiringly. "I dunno what that means, but almost every Xingese person can sense qi- the flow of life through every person."

"A meister is someone who wields a weapon and not just any weapon, a magic weapon. Magic weapons are actually people who can turn into… well, weapons," Kid explained as he held up his two guns.

Ling faced the gun wielding teen. "So, then meisters can sense something like qi, too?" The formal teen confirmed his outspoken thought with a nod._ I see, so that Maka person was a meister. It also explains the qi I'm sensing from their weapons. Nevertheless, I need to see this 'Lord Death'. _"I need to speak with your leader. It's important."

"What do you want with _him_," Black Star groaned as he slowly sat up, holding his inflicted face. He leaped to his feet and charged again at his adversary. "You have _me_ to deal with!" He almost landed a blow with his blade.

The prince sidestepped then jumped to a further distance. "Why did he order you to attack me? What have I done," The prince questioned as he guarded against a series of hand to hand blows from his swift assailant.

"Wait, Kid... Wasn't the mission to retrieve the prince, not his soul," one of the guns asked in confusion.

"Yes, that's right. My father wanted to see him," Kid muttered.

At the change of plans, Black Star backed off, restraining his anxiety. "Damn it, I still wanna fight him!" Black Star yelled to the sky, stomping his feet.

"Black Star, we're not supposed to_ kill_ him," Kid reminded his over excited partner with a groan.

"I'm happy to oblige," Ling interjected with a smirk. "It's been a while since I've had a good fight," he finished seemingly widening one eye slightly, the bangs covering the other.

_"Ling, before you figh-" _Greed didn't have time to warn his host.

"I'll gladly take you in a fight... Was it Black Star?" He tilted his head at the blue haired assassin in confusion. His confusion was soon cleared with a boisterous boast on the assassin's "greatness". _He sure has a big ego. Even his qi reeks of it!_ "Then it's settled. Prepare yourself! I won't be holding back!"

**Hey, sorry if this chapter seemed kind of awkward. It felt very awkward when I was writing it. I didn't know how you guys felt it was. I think Black Star made it kind of awkward… -_-" Black Star was never one of my favorites, but I kind of like the idea of Black Star fighting Ling (even if there **_**is**_** something wrong… Don't worry, I won't spoil it for you!). Black Star still made it awkward for me to write. Never did like that guy. **


	5. Conflict of Interest

He guarded against the incoming kicks with his arms, never allowing a single blow to his body. He often dodged the attacks that were made with the ninja sword. His left side, his forehead, and his cheek were grazed. _Greed, I need some of your power!_

"_That's what I was trying to warn you about. Other than healing your wounds, I can't do anything! Whatever Alchemy that sealed me in your body, it's interfering with my Ultimate Shield,"_ Greed protested in annoyance.

_What?! But the Ultimate Shield... isn't that part of the Philosopher Stone, Greed?_ He had another close call with the blade.

"_You moron. Not all of the homunculi have the same power. You can heal yourself, but as far as the Ultimate Shield goes, it's useless," _Greed reminded.

Ling jumped out of the way of a possibly lethal attack from a blade enforced by the wielder's shadow. "Whoa, you almost got me," Ling taunted lightly.

"_I feel like I've seen something like that before…"_

Ling swiftly but barely dodged the chain scythe blade that was swung at his head. _What's wrong, Greed? What does it remind you of?_ He was slightly grazed by the blade of the ninja sword.

"_Probably old memories acting up again,"_ Greed soothed his host.

"Remember, Black Star, we're not here to kill him, just to bring him in," Kid reminded the blue haired assassin.

"Yeah, but I'm still going to beat him! No one's going to take _my_ spot light," Black Star gloated, laughing triumphantly- shortly lived by a kick in the chest.

"I landed one," Ling remarked cheekily, getting in a defensive stance after jumping to the other side of the roof.

Black Star leaped to his feet with a growl. "Tsubaki," the egotistical teen whispered. "Shuriken mode."

"Right," she replied, shifting with a bright yellow light into a giant throwing star. Black Star threw her swiftly. Ling dodged the attack with a jump, allowing the throwing star to hit the wall behind him.

This time, when the weapon shifted her form, she mostly turned into her human form, the chain scythe blade replacing her left hand; her cream sleeveless top making it easy to notice. Ling paused for a second. _No… It can't be… It isn't, but her qi is a lot like…_ She propelled herself off the wall, her long tied up hair waving in the wind. She shot straight towards Ling. "Lan Fan…," Ling whispered.

"_Hey! Ling! Watch it,"_ Greed warned.

Ling rolled out of the way, only to find that a smoke bomb had gone off. He sensed the weapon and found that she had not moved from her spot. Her meister, however, was approaching him rapidly. Ling tried to duck an oncoming attack, but failed. A palm connected with the prince's lower back with extreme force. _He's forcing a portion of his qi through my body- Is it attacking my soul?! _

"Black Star: Big Wave," the assassin yelled furiously, knocking the prince off balance.

Ling quickly regained his balance, despite the energy that coursed through his system. What he considered a portion of qi dispersed and weakened almost on contact. _Huh? That was fast... _

_"You're welcome? I just stopped the invading energy for you by taking the hit myself,"_ Greed demanded.

_Thanks, I owe ya one._ Ling spun around to face his opponent. He saw Black Star, but hesitated to attack. "A dirty trick." A foot connected with his back, but instead of falling over, he grabbed the foot and threw the owner over him and kicked him in the groin.

_"Ooh! Nice one!"_ Ling could tell Greed was smirking by the sound of his voice.

Black Star fell on his back, making a strange face due to the unexpected assault such a sensitive area. He got up, holding his hands above his afflicted nether regions. "You… That hurt, you moron," he groaned in agony.

"Dirty tricks are not beneath me. People have been trying to kill me since I was little," Ling commented. A flash of light and Tsubaki was back in Black Star's hands.

"Black Star, I don't think we're a match for him. Something about his soul doesn't seem right," the multi-form weapon cautioned.

"Oh, you mean Greed? He's kinda stuck. Right about now, he'd be nearly beating you to a bloody pulp. Problem is, someone did something to get him trapped." Ling sighed. "Really isn't a fair fight, considering the odds."

Black Star leaned to the side. "No one said this fight was going to be fair. Especially that trick you just pulled," he complained as he moved for another attack.

"Yeah, but your wavelength attacks are dispelled. Greed stops them. And…" The wounds to the previous injuries healed with little sparks of energy. "I can regenerate myself as long as I have the source of Greed's power."

Both the duo and Kid were taken aback by his words. They seemed to step back in shock as if Ling were cursed. "Regenerate? What the hell kind of monster are you," Kid shouted in disgust.

"A homunculus." His tone was simple. It was almost as if they had asked him to identify any other ordinary living creature. "Technically, I can't die," Ling noted. "But that's just a minor detail."

"…_You have no idea how major that is to some people, do you…"_

_Damn , that means he could defeat God! There's no way I'm letting this bastard beat me. _Black Star ran at Ling, making an effort to make quick successive blows. They were all effortlessly blocked by the prince.

Ling groaned in aggravation. "Honestly, is that the best you have? Surely you can do better than that!" Ling charged at the assassin and landed a few blows, not without getting nearly fatally wounded. Crimson coated the skin tight shirt under the jacket.

"Regenerate that, homuncu-jerk," Black Star yelled triumphantly as he regained his balance.

He drew on the stone once more, healing the wound partially, but in the midst of healing it, a foot slammed into the same area. The air was knocked out of him and he fell back. _Crap… the Ultimate Shield would be useful right about now!_

"_I told you, I can't." _

_Why?! Isn't the Philosopher Stone capable of overcoming whatever power that's trapping you inside? Well, Greed? _

"_You really don't get it! It's binding _me_! Not the stone-"_

_Then use the stone to overcome it! Right now we _need_ the Ultimate Shield! I don't know about you, but I don't like dying over and over again!_ Ling was practically shouting in the soul's face.

_"You really know how to piss me off, you know that, right?!"_

_It's one of my specialties... _Ling smirked while he prepared for Greed to take action.

After a couple of moments of the lack of movement, Black Star walked closer to see if he had indeed won. He was about to declare victory when Ling started to writhe on the ground. When he stopped, his eyes opened.

His eyes resembled a cat's save for the magenta color. He got up and bore an uncanny toothy grin. "Finally... It's about time I got my hands dirty!"

**Yay! Greeling's back in business! :D I missed him and his epicness! I'll elaborate later on how come Greed couldn't come out... Through the fic. I'm ready to add done awesomeness to him too... Someone brought up a cool idea. I intend to use it. Until the best chapter of Greedy Souls!**


	6. Greetings From Your Local Avarice!

He got up and bore an uncanny toothy grin. "Finally... It's about time I got my hands dirty!" His voice was far different than the prince's the two meisters had met before. His whole demeanor had changed to an entirely darker one. "Well, let's go! Are we gonna fight or not," the new personality shouted.

"What happened?! You're different," Black Star stammered in slight shock. He shook it off and charged again at the prince, only to find that his knife bounced against a dark metallic blade instead of an arm.

"Huh… That's new," the new personality noted as he looked at his arm where the fabric of his jacket shredded from the transformation. He felt the nudge of the blade against his abdomen once more, but instead of the feeling of the crimson liquid leaking onto the undershirt, only the sound of metal clashing was heard.

"Wha- how is he doing that?! When did that guy get that power? A second ago he was vulnerable to any attack and now he's impervious," Kid tried to reason. He watched as Black Star's opponent knocked him clear across the roof. "If this gets any worse, I might have to intervene." He readied himself for any immediate action.

"Whoa, Kid. Hold on a second. That guy doesn't look like the kind of guy that can easily be fazed by our bullets. And his martial arts style pretty out there, too. Do you really think you can beat him," one of the guns cautioned as they watched Black Star nearly punch the odd personality, only to side step and catch his fist.

The blade flew towards the blue haired head. Black Star ducked and the blade only parted the central spike of hair. Black Star shifted his weight, throwing his captor over him in efforts to kick the homunculus to the ground.

The opponent hit the ground, but rolled away from another punch. He noted the hole the assassin had made in the roof, and then reassessed the kid's strength. Within seconds he was on his feet, smirking the same devilish grin he had moments before. "Heh… You aren't that quick a study, are you? The Ultimate shield protects me from many a threat. Kinda makes it hard to die," the strange opponent cheekily replied.

Black Star rushed his altered adversary, brandishing the ninja sword again. It was caught with a metallic claw. "Just who do you think you are," the young assassin screamed in the sinister face before him.

"Greed the Avaricious! I want money and women, power and _sex_," the homunculus spat back, staring straight into the assassin's eyes. "I demand the finer things in life," he shouted as he kicked his assailant in the stomach, letting go of the blade quickly. "I'm not done with you, yet, you fool," Greed growled in fury, darting quickly towards his prey, grapheme blade poised to strike.

Metal met metal as the blade struck the chains of the chain scythe. _"Greed, watch out!"_

Greed's eyes widened and jumped away. _What is it, Ling?! I had him!_

"_No, he had _you_. He can wrap those chains around your arm, and then he could perform any number of attacks, including some we haven't yet seen. If there's anything old man Fu taught me is that you need to be at least two steps ahead of your opponent,"_ Ling advised wisely.

_Ah… Xingese fighting style. Love the advi-_ A palm connected with Greed's abdomen. A mass of almost expected energy shot through him. He remained standing, not before nearly losing his balance and coughing up blood.

"_I returned the favor, Greed. Damn, this hurts..."_

_Thanks, Ling._ Greed whirled around to catch an attempt to kick him again. His metallic claw held the boy's foot in place. "Wanna try that again?" He grinned deviously and tossed Black Star into a wall of another building. He ran to attack again, only to find the boy lying on the ground through a hole in the wall, seemingly unconscious. His weapon had shifted into her human form and was hovering over him.

"Gees, Black Star. Someday you'll learn to choose your battles a little bit more wisely," she warned lovingly.

"Heh… Sorry about that. I got kinda carried away…" Greed watched as the weapon looked up with a small smile on her face. _Weird. She's smiling as if this is a frequent thing for her._

"It's alright. He'll recover. He's always getting in fights like this." She rubbed the back of her head nervously.

Black Star slowly lifted his head, groaning in pain. "I'll defeat you next time… you creepy two-faced bastard…" He slowly got to his feet, popping his neck and stretching.

Kid flew up to view the hole in the wall. He sighed, clicking his teeth in disapproval. "You can't fight without ruining anything, can you, Black Star?" He looked at Greed's constantly scowling face then looked away. "And obviously neither can you…"

"Hey! The guy was asking for it," an insulted Greed protested.

"Tch. Greed, was it? You're coming with us."

"Nah, I think I'll just go hunt down the dumb ass that dropped me into this world," Greed waved as he looked away from the formal teen on the flying skateboard.

"_Greed. Go with them. We need the info Lord Death may have to offer on getting back to Amestris."_

_Yeah… and he's their boss- perhaps like Father. For all I know, he probably created them._

"_Seriously? His qi didn't seem inviting, but it also didn't seem evil either. We can't just assume that all leaders are evil." _

_Guess you're right._ Greed turned around to look at Kid once more; facing the two toned golden eyed teen. "Take me to your father…"


	7. The Weird Center Building: It's a School

The central building was, as Greed soon discovered, was a school. The decor was the same as the rest of the city, except with a classier taste. The classrooms had celestial names, noting what class people have. To light the way, there were candles mounted on the walls.

Kid's guns had taken on their human forms. They walked on either side of Greed- Kid didn't want any trouble from him. They were both blond, except the seemingly eldest of the two had darker hair. Their attire was rather odd, considering the cowgirl hats, sweater like tops and skinny jeans.

"So... Your boss controls the city from a _school_," inquired an incredulous Greed.

"Yes, the purpose of the school was originally to prevent chaos and madness in the world from spreading. It was also to prevent kishin-the source of madness and chaos- from existing again in this world. Most kishin are born out of people seeking to avoid dying."

Greed nodded in understanding. "So would that make me a kishin, considering the power I possess?"

"A kishin's soul is really a normal human soul that has eaten innocent human souls- they do not coexist with the soul but drawn in and their power absorbed." Kid paused for a moment. "You fall into a completely different category all together, Greed."

There was an awkward silence for a moment. It seemed like hours before any of them moved or talked. Suddenly, Greed wrapped his arms around the two weapons' shoulders. "Say, Kid, you never introduced me to these fine ladies you have," Greed said with a boisterous laugh.

The two guns flinched at the homunculus's touch. "Thanks for the compliment. Though, could you move? It's kind of uncomfortable," the eldest gun requested.

"Ya, you're kinda creepy," the more chipper gun noted.

"C'mon, ladies, I don't bite! I take care of my possessions!"

"Liz and Patty," Kid said shortly, shooting glares of ice towards the alternate personality; he had quickly pointed between the two at the mention of each gun's name. "Get off, Greed," Kid then demanded.

"Oops. Sorry. Look but don't touch, huh?" Greed moved his arms from their places.

Liz's eyebrow began to twitch while she looked at Greed. _He's such a freak… I don't understand how anyone could like him._

"Dude, haven't you ever heard of keeping your hands to yourself," Black Star commented with his hands behind his head while walking. This earned a rather angry grunt from the avaricious teen.

They approached a large purple door, adorned with a skull on the top and three lines slanting up to the left on the bottom half and slanted down in the same direction on the top half. "Here we are," Kid presented. "The entrance to the Death Room."

_This door is just as tacky as Ed's style. _

"_Yeah, just be glad that we don't have to _live_ here forever."_ Ling smiled with a light hearted chuckle.

Kid knocked on the door and the door swung open, a slight gust of wind swished passed them upon doing so. They entered the strange room, and the door slammed shut behind them with no one to do so. It caused Greed to look back at it when it did.

"Something wrong, Greed," Kid asked, turning to see why Greed had stopped walking.

"Oh, just the idea that the Death Room might be haunted," Greed shrugged off with a smirk and began to follow once more.

"It's kind of enchanted by my father's power… It's rare for the door to open when he isn't here."

When Greed looked up, he saw guillotine like arches, marking the pathway to the center of the room. He grimaced slightly at the thought of the décor.

_Damn… the room's just as tacky as the door. _

"_If Ed's running this place, I'm gonna cry." _

_Why?_

"_Cause… His style combined with ruling a nation? It scares me." _

Greed couldn't help but laugh, earning a glance from the weapons and their meisters. "Sorry, me and the prince were just talking about something funny."

They approached a small set of steps that led to large circular platform. Greed could finally see the sky- was that a sky? _Whoa… is this still inside the school? It stretches for miles._ He couldn't keep himself from looking like a tourist by looking around this way and that. _Why are there crosses all littered around the room? Why are they stuck in the floor? The hell is this place?! _

"Ahem…," A new, squeaky voice chimed. "Are you going to introduce yourself? Or shall we stick with calling you the Prince of Evil."

Greed whirled around to see a weird black figure with a strange mask in the shape of a cartoonish skull on- his entire body was cartoonish. _Well, Ling, it's not Ed, at least… _"The name's Greed. Greed the Avaricious." He jabbed a thumb towards himself. "And you are?"

"Lord Death."

"Lord Death, huh? Me and my host have been looking for you."

"I know. I can see all over Death City."

"How can you see all over the city," Greed exclaimed in shock.

"Well… Reflective surfaces! I can tune into a reflective surface and see what's going on. Mirrors are the best ones though. I always get a clearer image."

Greed's expression contorted into one of disgust. "So… you can see people in the bathroom, then? Water tends to be refle-" From out of nowhere, a hard side of a hand struck his head. "Ow," Greed cried, also hearing Ling's painful yelp. "What the hell?!" He rubbed his head to soothe the soreness.

Lord Death withdrew the blockish hand back into his robe. "That's for thinking such a thought. I would never do that."

"Did you have to hit me in the damn head?!" Greed balled up his fists in anger while clenching his teeth.

"Yup. You can regenerate, so I'm not too concerned with killing you if I overdo it with the chop."


	8. Painful Transition

"I have a question…"

Lord Death made a sound of acknowledgement.

"What are you…?"

"An ordinary Grim Reaper, trying to bring peace to the world." Lord Death shrugged.

Greed went back to rubbing the lump on his head. "So why am I here? And don't reapers take souls and send them off to heaven or hell?"

"Yah, yah, I do do something like that but, that doesn't matter…" The same blocky hand popped out of his robe and he began to wave simply. "We need you for something. We believe you can help us with this problem, Gree-"

Greed turned around with the wave of his hand. "Sorry, Death. I work by myse- Aaaack!" He clutched his head again, but this time it wasn't from the lump received from the cartoonish death god.

"_Huh… Weird. I'm not doing anything to take over, but it feels like I'm coming back,"_ Ling noted.

"Dammit, Ling! Fight it! Guh," Greed gasped, clutching his throat. "The hell is going on?!"

"_I'm trying to, but it looks like I don't have a choice, Greed,"_ Ling grunted with effort, now trying to claw away at what seemed like nothing to stay in place. _"This hurts! Greed, I have no choice! I'm going to be in control, no matter what I do!"_ _That sounds a little off…_

"Crap… Why the heck is this happening… Why can't I have control…," Greed gasped as he fell to his knees.

"Hey, what's going on," Kid yelled. "Greed!"

"Y'know that prince guy that was originally fighting Black Star…," Greed grunted through the pain.

Kid nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"Something's tipped the balance between my control over his body… You see… He _let_ me take over."

Everyone but Lord Death had a slightly shocked expression, and a noise to go along with it.

"Wha- why would he do that," Black Star shouted.

"He was searching for… immortality…," Greed gasped as he fell on his back. "I'm sorry… that's all I can say… Time's up," he rasped while giving a thumbs up and a toothy grin before passing out.

"I know what's going on…," Lord Death noted in a more serious tone. "It's a spell. The souls are no longer as in sync with each other, though they remain able to communicate easily… They're fitting the parameters of a weapon and meister pair- and it's beginning on a rather shaky note."

"Huh, what did you say," a lighter voice inquired from the ground.

"It's that prince guy, again," Patty chirped.

The boy sat up and looked at them. "Ah, this is the source of all that qi. Nice to finally meet you in person, Lord Death."

"You're referring to my soul wavelength, correct?" Lord Death tilted his head to the side.

"Yeah." Ling nodded and looked to the rest of them. "Well, according to Greed, you wanted to use us for something?"

"Yup, and it will benefit both of you. We're looking for an inter-dimensional witch. She goes through dimensions to other places- mostly to gather spells, but also wreaking havoc occasionally for her own dimension." Lord Death pointed at the ground. "So, since you may have seen her- or in your case, sensed her, you may be the key to stopping this witch."

"What about the other people like Black Star and Kid and their magic weapon people," Ling queried.

Lord Death placed a finger to the end of his mask. "I've tried that, but she's hard to track. Her soul protect is rather potent- it takes someone who really knows how to read a soul and sense their personality to find them. That's why your partners for this special mission will be Dr. Stein and his two weapons of choice: Marie Mjolnir and Spirit Albarn- you'll refer to Spirit as Death Scythe."

Ling took a step back, his eyes widened in surprise. "Partners?!" _So soon?!_

"Yup! I've even taken the liberty to have them come here to meet us."

"I never said I'd do it," Ling protested.

"Do ya want to stay here or do ya want to go home," Lord Death leaned in, the eye sockets on his mask changing into semi circles.

"Alright…" Ling nodded, crossing his arms. He contemplated for a few seconds. "Alright, count me in!"


	9. Studying The Undying(Homunculus)

A number of different footsteps were heard as they entered the room. One of them dropped and didn't follow the other two onto the platform. A red head in a black suit with a cross shaped tie and pale green shirt under the jacket walked up the platform. A woman with golden hair, who also wore black sweater vest and a black skirt with a gold zigzag pattern on the front of it, followed him.

However, the third simply stood at the base of the platform. He kept his olive eyes locked onto Ling. They seemed intent on absorbing every detail they could find.

"Hey, Stein," the red head began, his face rather perturbed at the silver headed man's reluctance to join them on the platform. "What are you standing there for? Don't you know it's rude to stare?"

The aforementioned man adjusted his glasses on his stitched up face. "Sorry, I was reading something rather interesting, Spirit." He went to turn the screw in his head. The only sound in the room for the moment was the eerie creaking of the bolt.

_That man… is that a screw in his head? But how is that possible? Is it alchemy?_ Ling blinked for a moment. _Their qi is powerful, not as powerful as Lord Death's, though. I can tell that the scientist's is kind of twisted… I'd call it vile if it didn't have a human feel to it. And the other two, the red head- Spirit, was it?- he's comparable to the scientist. And the woman is equally comparable as well. _

"Your soul seems curious. Are you trying to make sense of something…," the man wearing the stitched up lab coat observed. "Homunculus."

"_This guy seems like bad news… He knows what we are just by looking at us. How much else does he know?"_

Ling took in a deep breath in astonishment. "How did you know?"

"I've done my fair share of research in the alchemic field. Unfortunately because of my position in the Academy, I haven't ever practiced the art in its entirety. It would be…" Stein paused, raising his head so that the light obscuring his glasses would fade; a simple frown on his face. "Treacherous."

"So, you've heard of the Philosopher's Stone, then? It exists even here?" _Perhaps we were merely teleported?_

"_Yeah… or more likely to a different world…" _

The odd scientist placed a finger on his chin in thought. "Not exactly. It's a myth here. There have been witches that have tried their hand in making one. They could never activate the spell circle-"

"Transmutation circle," Ling corrected. This earned a glare from the almost monochrome scientist.

"Excuse me," Stein inquired sharply.

"That's what they call it, back in Amestris. The diagram is a transmutation circle. I've seen it in action before. It probably doesn't work here because of this dimension. It's different than Amestris entirely. Even the sun and the moon."

The scientist raised an eyebrow and made a sound of acknowledgement. "Then how can it work here? How come you're not dead yet, homunculus?"

Ling took a step back. "So it does exist here!" _That means that there might be alchemists- or probably as this man says, witches- that have tried to create the stone!_

"…_No one taught you not to jump to conclusions did they," _Greed commented, a noticeable distaste in his host's anxiousness_._

"Not entirely. The reason you're still alive, I assume, has to do with the similar process a homunculus and a demon sword is created," he observed as he walked up the steps. "Another being injected into the blood stream…" He stood in front of Ling and leaned in, studying the prince's face "…almost unwillingly. But you sought the stone, and you were hungry enough for it that your hunger balanced out the overwhelming hunger of the dominant soul's within it."

Spirit made a noise to remind Stein of his and everyone else's presence. He had his hand behind his back in a formal fashion.

Stein ignored Spirit's signal for him to move on and continued to observe Ling's facial reactions: so far he remained straight faced with his eyes in their usual squint. "Why don't you show me the soul that's in control most of the time? Greed's there, isn't he?"

Ling's eyes widened slightly, a frown became apparent on his face.

"Professor Stein," everyone but the prince in question and the grim reaper shouted.

Stein turned in shock. He made a sound of slight confusion at the sudden outburst. "None of you are curious?"

"We've seen him," Kid divulged. He made a motion with his left hand in reference to him, Black Star, and their weapons. "And we're not the slightest bit curious, Professor.

Spirit crossed his arms with a peeved look plastered on his face. He groaned with impatience. "Stein, we're not here to procure another experiment. This is a serious issue, and we need you to focus."

"Please, let's just focus on the mission," the blond kindly prodded, though slightly exasperated at her colleague's poor timing to examine something that caught his eye.

All that was heard from the deranged professor was a solitary groan in response.

Lord Death waved his hand, as if shoving something aside in midair. "Now that we have that settled, on to the matters of the mission."


	10. Quest For Fame And Glory!

They were dismissed from the meeting after a short time. Lord Death had commanded the four- five, if one were to count Greed- to keep silent about the assignment. The students were just as warned, also including the command as to pass Ling off as a stranger with an odd condition.

Now what was left was to find a place to stay- the mission required a siting of the witch first. This problem was discussed in front of the school.

"So, anyone have a place to stay? It would keep me out of sight and away from the crazy people." Ling jabbed his thumb towards Black Star.

"Hey, you wanna go again," Black Star started.

Ling held his hand out to the side calmly. "Be my guest! Give me a sword and I'll take you on any time, any place, anywhere!"

Black Star pressed his forehead to the prince's, seeming to push it back. "Oh yeah?! I'll wipe that royal look right off of your royal face!"

"Big deal! What will you do, boast me to death?" Ling pushed Black Star's head back.

"Yeah, where would you even get a sword?! You're worthless without one!" Black Star pushed back.

"I'll find one or make do!"

"I know where you can procure a sword," Kid interjected.

"Where," the two shouted, facing Kid abruptly.

"Erm... In a cave stuck in the ground."

"Oh, that sword? I guess we can show him to it," Black Star agreed in a strangely calmer mood.

Stein and the other two adults turned away. "We'll talk later on the arrangements. Meet us back here later." He waved his hand as he began to venture down the enormous stairway of the school. Spirit and Marie followed suit.

"Do you think they'll be alright," Marie inquired, her hand on her chin as the trio sped down the steps.

"'They'? You mean Ling. Black Star and Kid would _never_ want to see _that_ sword again. Chances are they'll just send him on the chase for the sword," He noted monotonously, his little group already halfway down the stairs, seeking shelter from the discussion of the dreaded sword.

Ling's eyes widened in confusion at Stein's sudden impatience. "That was strange..." He turned to face the blue haired meister. "So where is this sword?"

And there Ling stood, in front of the cave with a cream colored book with "EXCALIBUR" engraved in gold lettering on the front of the novel. _This looks like the right place._ He examined the cliff face. _Now to get up there... Greed, would you mind?_

_"Sure. Whatever you say ." _He overpowered the spell with the stone.

Ling's hands changed to the grapheme claws of Greed. He approached the cliff face with a smirk. "Let's go get that sword." He scaled the cliff face with ease, his well-built physique and Greed's shield aiding him.

When he reached the top of the cliff, there was a cave. With water flowing through. Ling frowned at this sight. _Joy, as if the cliff wasn't enough. _Ling thought while the shield deactivated. He began to trudge through the shin high water.

He was well deep into the cavern, and thus far he had been guessing his way. In the midst of his wanderings, a fairy appeared before him. "A bug...?"

The fairy huffed and put her hands on her hips. "No, I am not a bug, squinty eyes! I'm a fairy. Are you looking for the holy sword?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for Excalibur. I assume I'm heading in the right direction?"

The fairy's face contorted to a disgust filled grimace as she began to point in the direction Ling was walking. She flew away shortly after.

_Well, she was rather rude._

_"Hey, at least we know where we're going and not stumbling around like idiots."_

_True_. As the teen trudged further he became lost in thought. He began to wonder what this sword looked like, and its qualities. _Is this sword very sharp? It must be if the legends say it can cut through the sky itself. It also must hold great power within it… I hope it doesn't look like something Ed would transmute. With our luck, it may be._

Ling stopped abruptly. He now stood in front of a circular platform, one close to the size of the one in the Death Room. The light above it lead directly to the top of the cave, hinting that it was the main source of light within the cavernous maze.

He looked around the almost empty cavern, only spotting a solitary sword thrust in the ground in the middle of the platform. The light gave it a majestic appearance, the handle's golden material already granting it splendor.

_This must be it… Strange…_ Ling thought beginning to hesitantly draw closer to the sword.

"_What…? You think it could be a trap? And if it is, would you still want the sword?"_

_Yeah… No, I wouldn't want a sword that's included in a horrible trap, Greed. But that's not it._

Greed made a sound of confusion at Ling's hesitance. _"Spit it out, what is it?"_

_I'm picking up a really high amount of qi from the sword. It's so high; the air's vibrating with it!_ Ling was approaching it little by little, until he was within reaching distance of the blade. _Only _magic_ weapons have qi. Could the Holy Sword- could Excalibur- be a magic weapon as well…? Could it..?_


	11. Content With The Things I Have

Ling was approaching it little by little, until he was within reaching distance of the blade. _Only magic weapons have qi. Could the Holy Sword- could Excalibur- be a magic weapon as well…? Could it..?_

He reached out towards the blade cautiously. _Will I be able to free the sword from the ground? Will I achieve the power of legends?_ Ling gulped anxiously as he wrapped his fingers around the golden handle of the blade. _Come on, let be the one to wield such divinity! It's only fitting as a future ruler!_

He barely started to pull the sword when it popped out of the ground. He fell on his rear. "Okay... That was easy..." He held the sword in front of him to admire its design. "_Too_ easy."

"Greetings! I am the Holy Sword, Excalibur," a booming voice called from the sword as it began to glow- blinding the Xingese prince temporarily.

When Ling opened his eyes, he beheld the sword's natural form. Its snout looked like a bird beak, its eyes resembled that of a fish, and its feet resembled a sort of furry animal's. It wore a frilly over coat, a tall, white top hat, and for pants... there were none. _It... Has no pants... _

_"That's not disgusting at all..."_

_Lucky us... His body doesn't seem to need them... He's like a cartoon character. _

A cane was shoved into Ling's face. "From where do you come?"

Ling shoved the cane aside. "Another world, from the land of-"

The thing turned around and tapped his cane on the ground before walking a short distance and returning back to Ling. "I already knew that."

"How? I just told you!"

He spun around once more, pointing the cane in Ling's face again. "What is your favorite number between one and twelve," he- it- demanded.

"Y'know, I never thought of what my favorite number is… Huh." Ling pondered, placing his hand on his chin in thought, the sword tapping the cane on the ground.

It pointed energetically towards Ling. "Who gave you the right to choose a favorite number?!"

"I thought _you_ did, sir." Confusion crossed Ling's face.

"Fool! My legend starts in the twelfth century!" Excalibur turned away from Ling suddenly.

Ling put a finger to his chin in astonishment, his eyes widened completely. "That's interesting, because I'm the twelfth son of the emperor of Xi-"

"Fool," Excalibur exclaimed once more. He threw the cane in Ling's face again.

"Why did you cut me off- Gaaack," he griped as he was saddled with a large stack of papers. "The heck is all this, huh?!"

"These are the one thousand provisions you must follow if you wish to be my wielder." It poked the stack of papers slightly, causing Ling to fall back and scatter them.

Ling growled in distaste, rubbing his offended rear. "Gees, you're a real jerk," he noted with a frown evident on his face.

"Fool."

"When you say 'fool' what are you implying? And to whom?" He stared at the creature for a couple of moments.

He didn't move. He seemed to be frozen in place.

"Hey, you still there?" Ling leaned forward, analyzing the creature. _He doesn't seem any different…_

"_Ling… He's a con. Let's just leave, while he's not moving."_

_I need a sword Greed. _

"_You don't _need _a sword. Have you forgotten that I can override the alchemy with the Philosopher Stone?"_

Ling ignored Greed and continued to look at the creature. "Hey," he began as he got up. "I know you're still alive! What's up," he shouted, staring at the creature.

No movement from the creature that was addressed.

Ling reached out to touch the frozen creature. "Why are you playing dead," he said as his hand neared the thing's shoulder.

The cane he was holding suddenly sprung to life and whirled swiftly around- and effectively dodged by the prince. "This brings me to provision number fifty-eight: never talk to me when I'm humming to myself!"

"I don't get it, you weren't humming," protested Ling who had moved a ways away from the cane.

"Fool! You shall now hear how my legend began," He began to raddle off on what day of the week it may have begun- then it followed to something about being rebellious during the summer, somehow shifting to winter.

"_What…?,"_ Ling and Greed both said in confusion.

"This brings me to rule number one-hundred seventy-two: seek harmony."

_Strange… we just so happened to be harmonious in our confusion…_ Ling stood there, his eyebrows twitching with stress. He was desperately piecing together information.

"Provision number one, my mornings start out with a cup of coffee with cream." He pressed his cane on the homunculus's foot.

Ling yelped in pain, holding his foot at the sudden stab towards it. "Yeah, that must be pretty important, huh," he yelled. "Got it, start with coff-"

"Who ever said I liked coffee? I start my mornings with green tea."

"_Heh…? Didn't he just say-"_

_He did. _

"You're not making any se-," he ducked as a cane swung at his head.

"This brings me to provision number two-hundred and two: Only the grandest of toilets are acceptable."

Ling's jaw began to drop. "What does that have to do with your mornings…"

"It has everything to do with them."

"_It has _nothing_ to do with coffee!" _

"A grand toilet…?"

"Has everything to do with it, thus," he turned around once more, swinging his cane like a golf club. "This brings me to rule number six-hundred seventy-nine: always place a dehumidifier in your room."

"Wha…?"

This went on for quite some time. The Holy sword even made it known to attend a really long story telling party. By the end of it, Ling and Greed were on the ground, groaning in agony.

"Oh, god… This thing is horrible…"

"_He's worse than Envy and… well, you combined." _

_Hey! _

"_It's true."_

The sword threw its little stubby appendages in the air. "You have been chosen!"

Ling made a sound of acknowledgement. He slowly got up from his pitiful place on the ground. "Wait… 'chosen'?"

"Let us fly together!" The creature glowed in a bright light, signifying its transformation. The sword finally transformed back into its weapon form. It floated in the air, giving anyone else who was watching- and knew nothing about the torment that they had to endure- a mystical and majestic scene. "For victory! And Glory!" The sword grew wings of light.

"For victory," Ling repeated as he reached to grasp the sword.

"_And glory," _Greed also repeated in light of the moment.

Ling grasped the sword as the ground began to shake. He smiled in anticipation.

The blade was placed back in the ground without warning. "Umm, excuse me. But why have you placed me back in the ground...?"

The male sighed in aggravation, his hand on his right hip. "You're too much trouble to even_ want_. I already have a weapon who already gives me a headache, I don't need you, too."

"Huh. Then why did you come here, then," a rather confused voice asked from the relic.

"Oh, because I specialize in using swords- at least ones that aren't human." He paused for brief moment. A disgusted grimace crossed his face. "But you're lame, so forget using you!" He briskly turned towards the rest of the cave and made his way to the exit.

On the way back to the academy, Greed inquired, _"Hey, did you really _mean_ what you said back there about me being annoying, Ling?"_

_Yeah, you're a pain in the rear. But you're not_ too_ bad. _

_"Define 'not too bad'."_

_You could be like that annoying sword back there. _

_"Tch. You'd never get along with _him_."_

_Yeah, what's the point if I already have something just as powerful, huh?_


	12. A New Partnership

"Hey, Black Star," a familiar voice called. The sun was setting. The foreigner would then have to deal with the ever grinning moon with bad dental hygiene.

The blue haired assassin turned to view the owner of the voice. "Yeah, Ling?"

"Did you send me on that chase on purpose," genuine anger laced his voice.

"Well technically it was me and Kid, if you're gonna point fingers at anyone." Black Star shrugged at the question.

"Oh, Ling, you're back," the aforementioned reaper noticed. He looked at the empty hands of the homunculus, relieved to see that a certain annoying legend's absence. "You didn't get Excalibur, did you?"

Ling's face contorted into a familiar grimace. "Why the hell would I want it? It's so annoying. I'd rather work with Greed."

"We figured as much." Kid sighed. "Not even the best meister from the academy could handle the sword's personality." He placed his hand over his chest in grief. "Such a waste that such magnificent symmetry was wasted on such a horrible creature."

"Well, it's getting late and I still don't have a place to stay, so I'll just stay with one of you guys!" He leaned forward with a smile. "So, who's willing to let me stay, huh?"

"You could always stay with us," a female voice recommended from behind the young prince.

Ling turned around to see Maka and Soul. "You'd just have to promise not to eat all of our food, this time," Maka warned with a light hearted laugh.

"I have to eat _something_," the prince whined. "I can't help it if I have a high metabolism and a large appetite."

"Really, I mean it," Maka growled out.

"I wouldn't mind letting him stay. After all, Black Star eats a lot, too," a patient Tsubaki allowed.

Maka's face shifted into exaggerated shock at her friend's suggestion. "Umm… Tsubaki, that would mean all your food would disappear. You already feed one person that eats up a lot of food already. Don't you think two would be too much?"

Tsubaki turned to face Maka with a gentle look. "I'm sure he doesn't eat too much."

"He ate the whole pantry," Maka and Soul both pointed out.

"Oh…," was Tsubaki's only reply.

Soul shoved his hands in his pockets gruffly. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Gees, why doesn't he just stay with someone who can support his highness?"

"In that case, he'll stay with Kid," a cold and more mature voice observed from the steps. Everyone turned to spot their insane professor hunched over, his hands in his pockets, approaching the indecisive group. Before the juvenile reaper could protest, Stein held up a previously folded paper stamped with Lord Death's mask and his signature. "Lord Death's orders."

Kid took the paper from the scientist, looking it over frantically. "This can't be right…"

The meister and scythe pair made a sound of confusion, catching Stein's attention. "There's a mission that's currently being processed. It's to help _him_ get home." He pointed at Ling, still hunched over. "We spoke again, Marie, Spirit, Lord Death, and I. He decided that it would be in everyone's best interest to change your partners, Ling."

"That doesn't make any sense… Wouldn't it be safer if for everyone if he stayed with one of the teachers," Maka inquired.

The slumped professor sighed and leaned toward the side, his eyes becoming visible. "Well, he's worried that I'll jump off the deep end and… well, you know." He smirked at the group. "Your new partners are now-"

"Kid, Liz, Patty, Professor Sid, and Nurse Nygus," Kid announced, shock apparent in his voice.

"Hey, why can't we help out," a disappointed scythe inquired.

"That would be a matter to take up with Lord Death." He fished a death stick out of his coat pocket, followed by a match book. He lit it and began to breathe in the toxic fumes. When he finally exhaled, he blew out a cloud in resemblance to the quirky death god's mask. "Personally, if you think you're up to the task, by all means. But, I assure you..." He stood up straight finally, placing the stick near his mouth; his glasses were obscuring his eyes again. "This mission is tough. If you feel too overwhelmed, feel free to rely on Death Scythe, Ms. Marie, or I."

They watched as he turned to leave, waving with a flick of his wrist. Kid sighed as he turned to look at Ling. "So, you're to stay with me?" A nod was his reply. Kid clicked his teeth, jerking his head to the side. "Just try not to make a mess."

The prince displayed an innocent grin. "I'll try not to!"


End file.
